Combustible fuel operated pile driving hammers and the like



E. A. SMITH Aug. 9, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 3, 1956 a w ii i, i mfi..k \A/ A MM w 6 m M W LU W A v. 1 p 3 .l 2 A j 2 6 1 o E AW ,Zlnedw Aug. 9, 1960 E H 2,948,122

COMBUSTIBLE FUEL OPERATED FILE DRIVING HAMMER-S AND THE LIKE Filed May 3, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. EDWA/PDA.5MITH. BY

ATTORNEYS.

2,948,122 'Patenteel Aug. a, 1960 COMBUSTIBLE FUEL OPERATED PILE DRIVING HAMMERS AND THE LIKE Edward A. Smith, Chatham, N.J., assignor to Raymond International Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed May 3, 1956, so. No. 582,386 14 Claims. 01. 61-76) This invention relates to pile driving hammers and the like and more particularly to hammers driven by the internal combustion of fuel, such as gasoline, or preferably by the combustion of fuel oil as in a diesel engine, although certain features of the invention are useful for other types of fluid pressure operated pile driving ham- IIIBI'S.

For many years, it has been the general practice to drive piles and the like by the steam hammers. Yet such steam hammers have a number of disadvantages under some operating conditions. For example, the smoke from the necessary steam boiler and the escaping steam from the hammer may be objectionable. A boiler in conjunction with a steam hammer is very inefiicient in the use of fuel and in some places the necessary water supply is not easily made available or the water sources and necessary water connections may become frozen. While ahydraulic type hammer has recently been developed which appears to have overcome many of the objections of steam pile driving hammers for some situations, yet hydraulic hammers require a separate and pump and considerable pressure control equipment, the expense, maintenance and operation of which is considerable, as well as involving added shipping expenses in cases of remotely located construction jobs. Furthermore, the fuel requirements for hydraulic hammers, although much less than required for steam hammers, leave room for improvement.

Another alternative for steam pile driving hammers has involved elforts to develop a diesel-operated hammer, but so far as is known, such efforts havenot heretofore produced a diesel type hammer suitable for very extensive use, one reason being that the piston was necessarily of a long heavy construction such as to act also as a ram, but making necessary such a vertically elongated assembly as to unduly diminish the available headroom above the pile or pile core to be driven, and the matter of minimizing the necessary headroom is an important factor in the driving of long piles efliciently. Another difliculty with diesel or the like hammers, results from thefact that the periodic heavy shocks of the explosions present problems of providing a piston cylinder and heavy ram combination which will be able 'to withstand such shocks without soon being rendered inoperative or'destroyed.

In accordance with the present invention, an improved hammer is provided of a type adapted for the internal combustion of fuel and preferably diesel operated, although the principal features of the invention may, if desired, be so designed asto utilize gasoline as the fuel. Diesel hammers in accordance with the invention may be constructed of a given size to utilize during a normal working day for example, 20 to 30 gallons of fuel oil, whereas for hydraulic hammers of equivalent size, the fuel requirements are substantially twice as great and in the case of steam hammers, the equivalent fuel requirementmay rise from 200 to 300 gallons of fuel oil per day. Furthermore, with the diesel. hammer construction of the invention, no auxiliary engines, pumps, boilers or the like equipment and the necessary operating personnel therefor, are required. Thus such diesel hammers are self-contained and can be suspended and lifted about by the use of ordinary cranes.

The particular difliculties heretofore encountered with diesel hammers are, according to the invention, avoided by a construction in which the cylinder, which may be 6 either single or double-acting, is yieldably held down upon the pile core or other element being driven thereby, thus minimizing the destructive effects of the impacts upon the cylinder. Also preferably the piston is made quite short, but is integral with or attached to an elongated heavy ram which may extend far down into the pile core or other member being driven and thus the headroom required for the cylinder and piston assembly is minimized. Furthermore, the construction is preferably so made that the explosions which act to raise the piston and ram are applied to a yieldably supported sleeve located beneath the piston and which sleeve is free to move somewhat with respect to both the ram which extends down therethrough and the cylinder which surrounds such sleeve, this feature preventing the possibility of the force of the explosions being transmitted directly to the cylinder.

Further objects, features and advantages of the invention hereof will appear from the detailed description given below, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification and illustration by way of example the presently preferred embodiments of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elcvational view showing one embodiment of a hammer in accordance with the invention, as associated with a pile driving core, the latter being surrounded by a pile shell in position to be driven into the earth;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the upper portions of the assembly of Fig. 1;

Fig. 2a is a vertical sectional view of the lower portions of the assembly of Fig. 1; a

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the lower portion of another embodiment of a hammer assembly made accordingto the invention. 7

Referring now to the drawings in further detail, a cylinder is shown at 10 having a cylinder head. 11 and a base 12, which, if desired, may be integrally formed as an outwardly protruding upper flange or so-called.

core head on a pile driving core 13. As shown in Fig. l, the core 13 extends down into a surrounding corrugated sheet metal pile shell 14 which is in a position to be driven by the hammer.

The cylinder 10 is retained between the head 11 (to which it may be afiixed in any usual way) and the base 12 by a plurality of guide rods as at 15 which extend through aligned apertures in the head and baseand through upper and lower flanges as at 16, 17 formed on the cylinder. The rods 15 are suitably afiixed at their lower endsas by welding as indicated at 18 in the.

base 12 and the upper ends of the rods are provided withthreaded nuts as at 19 adapted to apply adjustable pressure to yieldable or resilient means such as groups of Belleville washers 20 and 21 located respectively just in under the nuts 19 and just above the base 12. Thus when the interior of the cylinder head is subjectedto upward pressure impacts, the Belleville washers 20 will yield somewhat and allow the cylinder to rise slightly with respect to the, rods 15 and the base, thus avoiding excessive impacts on the cylinder and cylinder head. Also, as hereinafter explained approximately at the ter- 3 mination of the down-strokes, the base and core and the attached rods will be driven downwardly and by reason of the yieldable washers 20, the downward force against the cylinder assembly as applied by the nuts 19 will be cushioned. When the cylinder rebounds back to normal position with respect to the other parts after each compression of the Belleville washers 20, then the washers 21 at the lower ends of the rods 15 will yield slightly so that the lower portions of the cylinder will not strike heavily against the base or core head.

In the form of construction shown in Fig. 2, the cylinder contains a main piston portion 25 bearing piston rings 26 and a smaller upwardly extending piston portion 27 bearing piston rings 28. A main cylinder chamber is provided at 29 and a supplemental smaller cylinder chamber is provided at 30, this being formed as a cavity within the cylinder headpiece '11. During the upper part of the stroke of the piston, the smaller piston portion 27 extends up into the chamber 30, which may have ports as at 31 for the intake of air and venting gaseous products of combustion. The main cylinder chamber is formed with one or more parts in its lower portion as at 32.

A ram 33 is formed integral with, or is suitably secured to the lower surface of the piston 25 and may, if desired, extend far down into. the pile core 13-, as indicated in Fig. 2a. The upper portion of the ram 33 is surrounded by a sleeve 34, the external diameter of which is such as to fit within the cylinder and be sealed with respect thereto by piston rings 35. The internal diameter of the sleeve 34 is such as to embrace the upper portion of the ram 33 and may be sealed with respect thereto as by piston rings 36. As shown in Fig. 2, the equivalent of so-called cap block means is interposed as at 37 between the base or upper end of the pile core 13 and the lower surface of the sleeve 34. This cap block-like means may be constructed of a series of superposed washers, for example formed of synthetic plastic material interposed with metal washers, such as of aluminum, if desired. Such construction may be similar to the cap block means disclosed in US. patent to Edward A. Smith, No. 2,723,532, granted November 15, 1955, reference to which is hereby made.

The undersurface of the piston 25 may be formed with a plurality of radially inwardly and downwardly directed slots as at 40, each adapted to receive injections of fuel oil as from fuel injectors 41, secured at angularly spaced positions upon the cylinder as best shown in Fig. 3.

The sleeve 34 may be retained against rotation with respect to the cylinder as by a screw 44 positioned in the cylinder wall and protruding into a vertical slot 45 formed in the sleeve. The piston and ram may be retained against turning with respect to the sleeve 34 as by key means 46 mounted in the sleeve and adapted to engage a vertical slot 47 in the ram. One or more passages as at 48 may extend from the space about the ram upwardly and outwardly through the base 12 to the exterior of the hammer for equalizing the pressures internally and externally of the core 13.

As above stated the hammer may be of either a single or double-acting type, and if of the latter type, then fuel injectors areprovided not only as at 41 but also as at 41a for injecting fuel into the cavity to provide diesel explosions of the gas and fuel as compressed within such chamber. It may be noted that the upper portion of the cylinder may be formed of uniform diameter, if desired, without an extensionof smaller diameter as at 30.

The fuel injectors 41, 41a may be of suitable well known types and the timing of the operation thereof may be accomplished in various known ways, but with the particular example shown in Fig. 2, injectors such as at 41a may be actuated to inject fuel as by push rods 50 adapted to beengagedfby the piston 25 when same approaches the upper end of its rip-stroke. The push rods 50 may be connected as by connection rods 51 to actuate the mechanism of the injectors.

The injectors 41 may be actuated by protruding pushrod means thereon as at 52, adapted to be engaged by lug-like members as at 53 affixed to one or another of the guide rods 15.

In order to start the operation. of the hammer, the ram and piston means arefirst elevated to their uppermost positions. This may be accomplished by the use of hydnaulic cylinder and piston means located down in the pile core beneath the ram as shown in Fig. 2a. That is, a small cylinder 55 is provided containing a piston 56 sealed with respect to the cylinder as by piston rings 57. A connection 58 for liquid pressure is provided extending from a suitable source through a coupling 59 at the base of the hammer and thence down into the lower end of the cylinder 55. The connection or conduit 58 may be located in a keyway or slot 47a formed along the side of the ram 33, and if desired, as a continuation of slot 47 above mentioned. Thus to raise the ram and piston means of the hammer, the operator injects liquid under pressure through the connections 58, 59 to cause raising of the piston 56 and consequent raising of the ram 33 thereby. It may be desirable, in order to release any air contained under the piston 56, to provide an air vent as at 60 connected with a small chamber 61 at its upper end cont-aining a ball valve 62. Thus when liquid is introduced under the piston 56, any air contained under such piston will be forced up past the ball 62, but when the hydraulic pressure becomes sutficient to raise this ball, it will engage a valve seat 63, thus closing passage 60 against escape of liquid therethrough.

In order to gain ready access to this hydraulic jacking means for starting the hammer, the core 13 is preferably provided with a threaded or other form of detachable joint as at 65 for connecting a-lower core section as at 13a to the upper core section 13. The. upper end of "the core section 13a may be formed with a web 66 upon which the cylinder 55 is supported, or the cylinder, web and upper end of core section 13 may be formed integrally, as shown.

The web 66 may be apertured as at 67 to permit discharge of air from beneath the ram, thereby avoiding air compression below the ram, which would tend to check the downward movement of the ram.

The operation of the construction of Figs. 1-3 inclusive may be described as follows. Assuming first that the ram and piston assembly have been moved to their uppermost positions by the means above described and as shown in Fig. 2a, then the liquid pressure against the hydraulic piston 56 is released, thereby allowing the ram and piston 25 rapidly to fall and to apply an impact to sleeve 34, which impact, through the cap block means 37, is applied to the upper end 'of the core 13. This impact will cause the nuts 19 on rods 15 to apply pressure to the Belleville washers 20 with sufficient abruptness to cause the washers to yield so that the cylinder 10 will lag in its downward movement as compared with the downward movement of the rods. This relative movement of the cylinder and rods 15 is utilized to then actuate the fuel injectors 41. That is, the downward movement of the rods 15 will carry the lug-like means 53 downwardly to cause actuation of the push-rod means 52 on the fuel injectors. Thus charges of fuel will be injected substantially immediately after the initial impact of the piston 25 against the sleeve 34, .and since at this moment there will be heavy air pressure within the cavities 40,- the fuel charges will explode, thereby raising the piston 25 and ram 33 again toward their uppermost positions. The gaseous products of combustion from beneath the piston 25 may then escape through the port or ports 32. The downward movement of the fuel injector operating lug means 53 with respect to the fuel injector push-rods 52, will be only momentary and the parts 52, S-Spromp'tI-y i move away from each other again injection of fuel. i

At this point, it should be noted that, with the abovedescribed method of timing the operation of injectors 41, the injections of fuel beneath the piston 25 cannot possibly occur until after the piston 25 has applied its impact to the sleeve 34. Thus the possibility of premature explosions beneath the piston 25 is eliminated. Heretofore, in attempted diesel hammer constructions, one of the difficulties has been that of insuring proper timing of the explosions. If the explosions occurred just before the downward impact, for example, then the piston would be forced upwardly without having an opportunity to deliver its impact, and then the only driving force would be that of the reaction of the explosion against whatever member is being driven, and such reaction would be relatively small as compared with the driving force capable of being imparted by the rapid downward travel of the heavy ram and piston assembly. If the timing of the fuel injection is such that the downward movement of the heavy ram is prematurely checked by the explosions, then the hammer may give the appearance of operating satisfactorily, when in fact it is not delivering any heavy impacts.

As the piston 25 and its extension 27 move upwardly, the port or ports 32 will be closed. Gaseous products of combustion will first be blown out through ports 31, whereupon piston extension 27 will then close these ports and cause the gases-in the chamber 30 thereafter to be placed under heavy compression. Then the push-rods 50 for fuel injectors 41a will be engaged by piston 25, causing injections of fuel-into the gases under high pressure in the chamber '30. The fuel therein will then explode, causing the piston and ram assembly forcefully to start the downward stroke, which, supplemented by gravity on the heavy ram, will insure delivery of the necessary heavy impact at the end of the downward stroke. j

It should be noted that the compression of the Belleville washers 20, 21 on the rods 15 should be so adjusted that there will beonly a relatively small or negligible movement of the cylinder with respect of the rods at the times when fuel explosions occur, both at the upper and lower ends of the strokes. Thus the explosions will not cause actuation of the fuel injectors 41, but the washers 20, 21 are so designed, or their normal compression is so adjusted, that when the impacts of the heavy weight of the ram occur at the end of the downward stroke, the washers 'will yield and cause the necessary relative movement of the cylinder 10 and rods 15 to bring about actuation of the fuel injectors 41.

With the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 4, the upper portions of the hammer (not shown in Fig. 4) may be the same as those of Fig. 2, except the cap block means 37 is omitted. Instead, as'shown in Fig. 4, cap block means as at 70 may be provided heneath the ram 71 and down within the core 72. This cap block means may be of a construction similar to that disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent No. 2,723, 532. Hydraulic cylinder and piston means as indicated at 73 may be provided for a purpose similar to that shown in Fig. 2a, that is, for the purpose of starting the hammer, but in this case it will be understood that the hydraulic piston acts to engage the underside of the cap block 70, which in turn engages the lower end of the ram 71 to raise the latter for starting the hammer. When the arrangement of Fig; 4 is used, it will be understood that the main impacts of the piston and ram assembly will be applied to the cap block 70 at the termination of the down-stroke. The sleeve 34 will be made of a height sufficient to occupy the space containing the cap block means 37 above described, and thus the explosions which occur at the start of the up-stroke of the piston, will react between the upper surface of the sleeve 34 and the undersurface of the piston as in upon completion of an the case of the first embodiment of the invention above described.

It will be understood that suitable cooling fins may be provided on the exterior of the cylinder 10, but these, for convenience and simplicity of the drawings, have been omitted.

Although preferred embodiments of the invention are herein disclosed for purposes of explanation, various modifications thereof, after study of this specification, will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. Reference should accordingly be had to the appended claims in determining the scope of the invention.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A hammer construction for driving piles and the like and operating by internal combustion of fuel, comprising in combination: a cylinder; a hammer base means beneath'said cylinder; a piston contained in said cylinder and having a ram secured as a unit therewith and to the underside thereof; a sleeve surrounding said ram beneath the piston located at a position to receive driving impacts from the piston and ram unit; slidable sealing means between said sleeve and the cylinder walls and also between said sleeve and the ram; resilient cap block means surrounding the ram and interposed between said sleeve and the hammer base means for transmitting the impacts to the latter from the sleeve; and means for injecting fuel into said cylinder between said piston and sleeve.

2. A hammer construction for driving piles and the like and operating by internal combustion of fuel, comprising in combination: a cylinder; a hammer base means beneath. said cylinder; a piston contained in said cylinder and having a ram secured as a unit therewith and to the underside thereof; a sleeve surrounding said ram beneath the piston located at a position to receive driving impacts from the piston and ram unit; resilient cap block means interposed between said sleeve and the hammer base means; means for injecting fuel into said cylinder between said piston and sleeve; and means resiliently connecting said cylinder and base means to permit relative vertical movement therebetween upon delivery of impacts from the piston.

3. A hammer construction for driving piles and the like and operating by internal combustion of fuel, comprising in combination: a cylinder; a hammer base means beneath saidcylinder; a piston contained in said cylinder and having ,a ram secured to the underside thereof; a sleeve surrounding said ram between the piston and said base means; slidable sealing means between said sleeve and the cylinder walls and also between said sleeve and the ram; means for injecting fuel into said cylinder between said piston and sleeve; and means resiliently holding said cylinder down with respect to said base means and permitting relative vertical movement therebetween upon delivery of impacts from the piston.

4. A power hammer operated by internal combustion of fuel and comprising in combination: a cylinder; a hammer base means beneath said cylinder; guide rods fixed in respect to said base means and extending up along the sides of the cylinder; compressiblemeans on said guide rods interposed between said base means and the lower portion of the cylinder; additional compressible means at the upper ends of said guide rods for applying pressure to the upper end of the cylinder, the cylinder and guide rods by reason of said compressible means being relatively movable vertically upon actuation of the hammer; piston means within the cylinder; a ram connected to said piston means and extending downwardly therefrom; and means for injecting fuel into the cylinder for operating the piston means.

5. A power hammer operated by internal combustion of fuel and comprising in combination: a cylinder; a hammer base means beneath said cylinder; guide rods fixed in respect to said base means and extending up along the sides of the cylinder; compressible meanson said guide rods interposed between said base means and the lower portion of the cylinder; additional compressible means at the upper ends of said guide rods for applying pressure to the upper end of the cylinder, the cylinder and guide rods by reason of said compressible means being relatively movable vertically upon actuation of the hammer; piston means within the cylinder; a ram connected to said piston means and extending downwardly therefrom; means for injecting fuel into the cylinder beneath said piston to raise the piston and ram following each impact of the hammer; and means actuated in response to the relative movement of the cylinder and hammer base means for actuating said injector means at the result of suchimpacts.

6. A hammer construction in accordance with the foregoing claim and in which said compressible means comprises Belleville washers surrounding said rods.

7. A power hammer construction operable by internal combustion of fuel, comprising in combination: a cylinder; a hammer base means beneath said cylinder and adapted to receive and transmit driving impacts; means resilient longitudinally of the cylinder'for holding same down with respect to said base means; a piston contained in said cylinder and an associated ram extending from the piston means down through the base means; a sleeve means under the piston means and surroundig the upper portion of said ram; cap block means interposed between said sleeve means and the hammer base means; injector means for injecting fuel in between said piston means and sleeve means, said sleeve means being constructed and positioned to receive impacts from the piston .means and to transfer same to said base means through said cap block means, said sleeve .means being slidable in said cylinder upon receiving said impacts, by reason of said resilient holding means; and means controlling said injector means to actuate the same for injection ofvfuel substantially immediately following delivery of an impact by the piston means to said sleeve means.

8. A power hammer construction for driving piles and the like and operable by internal combustion of fuel, comprising in combination: a cylinder; a hammer base means beneath said cylinder and connected .to a pile driving core; a piston contained in said cylinder and an associated ram extending down therefrom into said core; a cap block located in said core beneath said ram and adapted to apply impacts from theram to the-core; means resiliently holding said cylinder down with respect .to said hammer base means and permitting relative movement therebetween upon delivery of impacts by the ram; means for injecting fuel beneath the piston; and means actuatable in response to said relative movement for causing actuation of said injection .means to inject .fuel substantially immediately following delivery of an impact by the ram.

9. A power hammer construction :for driving piles and the like and' operable by internal combustion of fuel, comprising in combination: a cylinder; a hammer 'base means beneath said cylinder and mounted on a pile driving core means; a piston within said cylinder .and having connected thereto a ram extending down into 'said core means; means for injecting fuel .into the cylinder for operating the piston; and means for starting the operation of the hammer, comprising a hydraulically oper- 'able cylinder and piston means located in the core beneath the ram for elevating the ram and piston :to their upper positions.

"10. A double-acting power hammer construction operating by internal combustion of fuel, comprising in com- I bination: a cylinder; piston therein; a ram suspended from the lower side of the piston; hammer base means mounted upon a hollow 'core member surrounding said ram; compressible connection means between said base means and the cylinder permitting relative movement therebetween upon delivery of impacts by the piston; means for injecting fuel into the cylinder beneath the piston; means acting in response to said relative movement for timing the operation of said injector means to actuate the same subsequent to delivery of each such impact; means for injecting fuel above the piston; and means for actuating the latter injector means responsive to upward movements of the piston.

11. A power hammer operated by internal combustion of fuel and comprising in combination: a cylinder; a hammer base means beneath said cylinder; guide rods fixed in respect to said base means and extending up along the sides of the cylinder; compressible means on said guide rods interposed normally under compression between said base means and a portion on the cylinder; additional compressible means on said guide rods and interposed normally under compression between a portion of the cylinder and portions on the ends of the guide rods opposite from the base means, the cylinder and guide rods by reason of said compressible means being relatively movable vertically upon actuation of the hammer; piston means within the cylinder; a ram connected to said'pistonmeans and extending downwardly therefrom; and means for injecting fuel into the cylinder for operating the pistonmeans.

"12. A power hammer'co'nstruction operable by internal combustion of fuel, comprising in combination: a. cylinder; a hammer base means beneath said cylinder; means resilient longitudinally of the cylinder for holding same down with'respect to said base means; piston means contained in said cylinder and an associated ram extending from the piston means down through the base means; a'slee've means slidably disposed in said cylinder between said piston means and said base means and surrounding the upper portion of said ram; and injector means for injecting fuel in between said piston means and said sleeve means, said sleeve means sliding in said cylinder and said base means and cylinder moving longitudinally relatively to one another when the piston means and ram act 'to'de'liver an impact, said holding means resilient longitudinally of the cylinder being stressed by said relative movement of said base means and cylinder.

:13. A power hammer construction according to claim 12, wherein means are provided controlling said injector means to actuate the same for injection of fuel substantially immediately following delivery of an impact I References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 929,696 Oberly Aug. 3, 1909 2,598,455 Smith May .27, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 435,183 Great Britain Sept. 17, 1935 679,147 Germany July 29, 1939 739,518 Great Britain -n Nov. 2, 1 955 

